There are three rules in the Walled City: Run fast. Trust no
one. Always carry your knife. Right now, my life depends completely on the
first. Run, run, run.

Jin, Mei Yee, and Dai all live in the Walled City, a lawless labyrinth run by
crime lords and overrun by street gangs. Teens there run drugs or work in
brothels—or, like Jin, hide under the radar. But when Dai offers Jin a chance
to find her lost sister, Mei Yee, she begins a breathtaking race against the
clock to escape the Walled City itself.

About Ryan:

Ryan Graudin grew up
in Charleston and graduated from the College of Charleston with a degree in
Creative Writing in 2009. She is the author of All That Glows and The Walled
City. She resides near Charleston with her husband and wolf-dog. You can find her
online at www.ryangraudin.com.

When I read the blurb for this book I was pretty interested. It sounded different from books I'd been reading recently, and the concept just sounded unique. What I found was a fast-paced, at time heart pounding story.

First the story is told by three different main characters. There is Dai who is full of mystery and ironclad determination. He is a boy that knows what he has to do and sets out to do it without letting anything get in his way. I completely admired that about him! He is also surrounded by a cloud of mystery. You know he's not like all the other kids in the walled city, but you don't know completely how he came to be there and why. As the story progresses more and more of his background is shown. I grew to really like him as a character and wanted him to succeed in this plan he pulls Jin and Mei Yee into.

Then there is Jin. I was blown away by her! Here is a young girl in the heart of a very cruel world. This is a place that will chew you up and spit you out without a second thought! She is pretending to be a boy just to survive - if found out she could end in a very bad situation. I loved her tenacity. I wish I had half her fight! There were times though that I wanted to shake her because of some of the choices she was making. I understood those choices and that she made them out a place of desperation - but man were they hard to watch her live with! I loved how she ended up at the end of the book. By the end I had a really soft spot for her.

Now Mei Yee - this girl was amazing. Jin and Dai both had to learn how to survive on the streets of the walled city, but she had to learn how to survive in a completely different way. Many girls around her didn't survive it at all, but Mei Yee's ability to figure out what to do to keep herself safe and whole was made me really like her. I loved that she became part of the fight instead of turning into the one that had to rescued. She wasn't the helpless girl locked in the tower needing saving. She helped save them all.

The plot is almost non-stop action, and when it's not action it's breathless tense scenes where one small move could blow everything. I felt completely worn out by the time I finished it!

Over-all it was a great book. The characters were so compelling that I couldn't help but like them and want to see what happened, and the plot pulled me along at such a force I couldn't stop!

One last note - the city in The Walled City is based on a real place in Hong Kong. I had to stop part of the way into the book and read about. It was absolutely fascinating. That only added to how much I liked the book.

(1) Grand prize pack: It includes: A finished copy of THE
WALLED CITY, rice candy, a miniature lucky cat, a traditional Chinese paper
cutout of a dragon, and a pamphlet from the real Walled City Park! US ONLY

(9) winners will receive: A finished copy of THE WALLED CITY.
US ONLY.

October 28, 2014

In 1959 Virginia, the lives of two girls on opposite sides of the battle for civil rights will be changed forever.

Sarah Dunbar is one of the first black students to attend the previously all-white Jefferson High School. An honors student at her old school, she is put into remedial classes, spit on and tormented daily.

Linda Hairston is the daughter of one of the town's most vocal opponents of school integration. She has been taught all her life that the races should be kept separate but equal.

Forced to work together on a school project, Sarah and Linda must confront harsh truths about race, power and how they really feel about one another.

Boldly realistic and emotionally compelling, Lies We Tell Ourselves is a brave and stunning novel about finding truth amid the lies, and finding your voice even when others are determined to silence it.

ReviewI didn't read this book - my 15 year old daughter did, so I'm sharing her thoughts. Here's how her reading it came about. I had just gotten the ARC for review and had it sitting on the counter. She had to have a book for a book report paper for advanced English 10. She had originally picked something like Jane Eyre. After I left for work she must have picked the book up and looked at it. I get a text asking if she can take it to read for her book report. I of course said yes. Now -the idea behind the book report was that it was to push her reading/thinking, so I asked her if she thought it would do that. She felt this book would definitely push her thinking as well as being something that interested her! What I have for the review are parts of the book report she wrote and conversations I had with her about the book.

From her book report:

I choose this book for many reasons, but mostly because it seemed like a good book with an intricate story as well as rounded characters. I choose it also because as soon as I saw it I felt like I would enjoy it, although it may not be something that I usually would read when picking out a new book.

Throughout this book there are several underlying themes, themes about love and hatred, and why we do the things we do, but there is one major theme throughout the book, which is even evident in it’s title. This prominent theme is the idea that we all tell each others and ourselves lies, and when we overcome these lies we can become better people in the long run. This theme is present not just in the name, but each chapter is a different lie that we commonly tell ourselves.

There are many conflicts in this book, many of them being person against person conflicts such as Linda against Sarah, but the main conflict through the book is person against society. The society is what Sarah, her friends, and her family. are trying to fight against. This is not specifically the people, although sometimes it doesn't seem like that. They are trying to fight against what people have grown up in and believe to be true above everything else. This society is what makes these characters so particularly evil in most cases.

Would I recommend this book to others? A resounding yes on my part (emphasis mine). This book would appeal to many people interested in the civil rights movement, or just historical fiction in general, but also any mature readers that read it will take a lot away from it. It is not a lighthearted book, so if people go into it knowing that, most readers should be fine. There are many great attributes to this book, including, as I mentioned earlier, well rounded and thought out characters, and a great and intricate plot line. It’s a very new book, only coming out this October, but it’s on a fast track to becoming well known.

My adding in:

What doesn't come completely through in that is what I heard in her voice when she talked about the book. She loved it. She got super animated when talking about it. She even took the book out at one point when we were in the car and started sharing the titles to the chapters. They are all "lies we tell ourselves". She thought that was the neatest thing, and she loved how the chapter titles tied in to what was happening in that chapter.

Later we were talking about the book again, and she said it was now in her top three books along with The Book Thief and one more I can't remember. I honestly don't think I'll ever see the book again, because it will go on her bookshelf with her special books.

Lastly we did talk about the two main character quit a bit. She was very clear about what she liked and didn't like about them, but loved how they changed and grew throughout the story. We also talked about the sexual orientation of the girls and how that was a part of the story. It was amazing to hear her explain how it was a part of the story, how it affected things, but yet how it wasn't the focus.

In the end - she loved it beyond anything. After hearing my daughter talk about a lot of books over the years, it was clear to me this impacted her greatly and she will carry the story and the characters forward for a long while!

October 24, 2014

Very excited today to be part of the blog tour for Afterparty by Ann Redisch Stampler!

I've got a review for you and a great giveaway being hosted by the tour!

First about the book

Emma is tired of being good. Always the dutiful daughter to an overprotective father, she is the antithesis of her mother--whose name her dad won't even say out loud. That's why meeting Siobhan is the best thing that ever happened to her… and the most dangerous. Because Siobhan is fun and alluring and experienced and lives on the edge. In other words, she's everything Emma is not.

And it may be more than Emma can handle.

Because as intoxicating as her secret life may be, when Emma begins to make her own decisions, Siobhan starts to unravel. It's more than just Dylan, the boy who comes between them. Their high-stakes pacts are spinning out of control. Elaborate lies become second nature. Loyalties and boundaries are blurred. And it all comes to a head at the infamous Afterparty, where debauchery rages and an intense, inescapable confrontation ends in a plummet from the rooftop...

This explosive, sexy, and harrowing follow-up to Ann Redisch Stampler's spectacular teen debut, Where It Began, reveals how those who know us best can hurt us most.

About the author

Ann Redisch Stampler is the author of young adult novels Where It Began and Afterparty, as well as several picture books, including The Rooster Prince of Breslov. Her books have been an Aesop Accolade winner, Sydney Taylor notable books and an honor book, a National Jewish Book Awards finalist and winner, and Bank Street Best Books of the Year. Ann has two adult children and lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband. Website: annstampler.comTwitter: @annstamplerFacebook: https://facebook.com/WhereItBeganGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15751652-afterparty

When I was in high school a lot of people saw me as a “good
girl”. I didn’t get in trouble. I didn’t drink. I listened to my parents – hey I LIKED my
parents. So when I saw what this book
was about I was intrigued because Emma is a “good girl” too. The only difference – she decides it’s time
to break out of that box. Although I
didn’t always agree with Emma’s choices, I completely understood where she was
coming from and why those were the choices she made. Her father is very controlling, plus she has
some guilt over the history of her mother and she wants change how she lives
her life. Putting that all together made
for a young girl that wasn’t always in the best place to make good
decisions. I felt for her. She so wanted to be the good girl her father
believed her to be. I could feel her
guilt any time she did something she knew he’d disapprove of. Just the act of telling him one small lie was
difficult for her! Seeing this guilt was
hard sometimes because I knew it tore at her even when she wanted to the very
thing that was making her feel guilty!

Ok now about that friendship with Siobhan. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm – I have to look at it two
ways! To begin with it is a very unhealthy friendship - that is perfectly clear to everyone except Emma! I have to look at it through
the eyes of the age it was written for.
For them they see girls like Siobhan – or know if them so they can relate
to who she is and how she is. For me I
teach middle school so there were times I had a hard time with her. BUT that is because I’m not the intended audience! She can be mean, pushy and demanding. I don’t think the intended audience
would struggle with her at all – she is a reality in a lot of schools and they
would know that. Plus she had to be that way because she had to be the foil to Emma's good girl image. Now I also had to look at
their friendship through Emma’s eyes. Siobhan was the complete opposite of Emma so of course she would find her
so appealing. Here is a girl that does
and says everything that Emma would never be allowed to do. She sees and gets this freedom with Siobhan that
she has never had and that’s very appealing to her. When I looked at Siobhan this way – I could completely buy into why Emma was friends with her. I got it even if I didn’t agree with it. The friendship was completely necessary and exactly what it needed to be. It drove the plot and the change in Emma.

Now the ending. Don’t
worry I won’t give anything away! I was
pleased with the ending. It gave answers
without wrapping everything in a nice neat bow.
It was more realistic, and I liked that.
I felt satisfied with what I knew at the end and where I could see it
going after the book was closed.

Over-all I enjoyed the book.
At points it was like watching a car-wreck about to happen because you
knew Sib had trouble written all over her! But the motives and history of Emma
kept me wanting to know how she would be.

Alina Chase has been contained on an island for the last 17 years—whether that’s for the crimes of her past life, or for her own protection, well, that depends on whom you ask. With soul-fingerprinting a reality, science can now screen for the soul, and everyone knows that Alina’s soul had once belonged to notorious criminal, June Calahan, though that information is supposed to be private. June had accomplished the impossible: hacking into the soul-database, ruining countless lives in the process.

Now, there are whispers that June has left something behind for her next life—something that would allow Alina to access the information in the soul-database again. A way to finish the crimes she started.

Aided by three people with their own secret motivations, Alina escapes, only to discover that she may have just traded one prison for another. And there are clues. Clues only Alina can see and decipher, clues that make it apparent that June is leading her to something. While everyone believes Alina is trying to continue in June’s footsteps, Alina believes June is trying to show her something more. Something bigger. Something that gets at the heart of who they all are—about the past and the present. Something about the nature of their souls.

Alina doesn’t know who to trust, or what June intends for her to know, and the closer she gets to the answers, the more she wonders who June was, who she is, whether she’s destined to repeat the past, whether there are truths best kept hidden—and what one life is really worth.

At a school where Quantum Paradox 101 is a required course and history field trips are literal, sixteen year-old time traveler Bree Bennis excels…at screwing up.

After Bree botches a solo midterm to the 21st century by accidentally taking a boy hostage (a teensy snafu), she stands to lose her scholarship. But when Bree sneaks back to talk the kid into keeping his yap shut, she doesn’t go back far enough. The boy, Finn, now three years older and hot as a solar flare, is convinced he’s in love with Bree, or rather, a future version of her that doesn’t think he’s a complete pain in the arse. To make matters worse, she inadvertently transports him back to the 23rd century with her.

Once home, Bree discovers that a recent rash of accidents at her school are anything but accidental. Someone is attacking time travelers. As Bree and her temporal tagalong uncover seemingly unconnected clues—a broken bracelet, a missing data file, the art heist of the millennium—that lead to the person responsible, she alone has the knowledge to piece the puzzle together. Knowledge only one other person has. Her future self.

But when those closest to her become the next victims, Bree realizes the attacker is willing to do anything to stop her. In the past, present, or future.

"A creative take on romance in a high-stakes, high-concept mystery that trusts its readers' intelligence." - Kirkus

"LOOP is a page-turning adventure with some brilliant and original twists to the time travel genre. I devoured the entire book in one sitting!" - Julie Cross, Author of the TEMPEST series

"Hilarious and suspenseful with a delicious dash of romance, LOOP is a mind-bending good time!" - Melissa Landers, Author of the ALIENATED series

About The Author

Karen Akins lives in the MidSouth where she writes humorous, light YA sci-fi. When not writing or reading, she loves lightsaber dueling with her two sons and forcing her husband to watch BBC shows with her.

Karen has been many things in her life: an archery instructor, drummer for the shortest-lived garage band in history, and a shockingly bad tic-tac-toe player.

October 16, 2014

United to battle foes no single hero could withstand, The Avengers are the most powerful Super Hero team in the world! Including Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man,and the Black Widow, this book as all of the favorite Marvel characters. Poster-A-Page delivers children's most popular characters, stories, and memorable moments to them in a unique visual format. With every page a poster, plus 9 supersize fold-out posters inside, this series offers kids ages 4-12 the opportunity to bring their favorite friends and stories into their homes, onto their walls, and become part of their world.

I don't have a ton to say about this one other than it's really cool especially if you are a Marvel Avengers fan. I happen to have on in my house, so I'll let most of her thoughts run this review. First when I showed it to her when I got it. She tore it from me. Then we both noticed what she was wearing.

Yup she has on a Thor t-shirt and Captain American sweatpants. That's my girl :)

She absolutely loves this stuff. Her dream is to go to Comic Con. So this book was right up her alley. She flipped through it was very very happy to see that Black Widow was in it. One of her biggest complaints is when they leave the girl characters out or barely give them any exposure. That wasn't a problem with this book. It had several.

For the poster lover in your life this is a great book. It not only has 9 super-sized posters - every single page is a poster! My daughter loves posters. I often have to remind her she only has so much wall space. Well I know this book will cover any space remaining right now. And what's nice as well about the posters in this book - they are on good thick paper, so they'll hold up much better.

Elias Phinn has always been considered stupid, but that may be because no one knows his vacant exterior holds a gifted mind. A mind that has learned to focus on his created world of Warilia, through which Elias distills everything he sees in order to cope with the excruciating, actual world around him. But with each passing year, the detailed sketches and notebooks describing Warilia have not only taken over Elias's time, they have become a world he must slip into in order to get through each day. Clara Tobias has been running from her own reality, leaving behind her fragile mother and two siblings in order to have the whirlwind life of travel and adventure she always wanted. She justifies she put in her time caring for others, and that the rest of her life is hers to use as she pleases. Even if guilt won't leave her alone.

On a flight out of New York---Elias heading home for the summer, Clara on another trip to Somewhere---the two end up side by side. And when their carry-ons are mistakenly switched, Clara opens her bag to discover the histories of Warilia while Elias finds photographs and journals he uses to flesh out the mysterious girl who sat beside him, whom he sees as the beautiful daughter of a Warilian diplomat, making her and her mother an integral part of his entire world.

When Clara arrives at the Phinn's boarding house for her luggage, she begs Elias to show her Warilia---and he does, taking her to locations that to him are not ordinary landscapes and buildings but epic mountains and massive skyscrapers. But as Clara finds herself further drawn to this intriguing boy, word comes her mother has died. When Elias becomes unable to deal with the death of his diplomat, he and Clara leave on a mission Elias claims will preserve Warilia forever. Though in the end it could be the one thing that allows Clara to piece her own world together.

October 13, 2014

'A publisher in New York asked me to write down what I know about the Greek gods, and I was like, Can we do this anonymously? Because I don't need the Olympians mad at me again. But if it helps you to know your Greek gods, and survive an encounter with them if they ever show up in your face, then I guess writing all this down will be my good deed for the week.' So begins Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, in which the son of Poseidon adds his own magic--and sarcastic asides--to the classics. He explains how the world was created, then gives readers his personal take on a who's who of ancients, from Apollo to Zeus. Percy does not hold back. 'If you like horror shows, blood baths, lying, stealing, backstabbing, and cannibalism, then read on, because it definitely was a Golden Age for all that.' Dramatic full-color illustrations throughout by Caldecott Honoree John Rocco make this volume--a must for home, library, and classroom shelves--as stunning as it is entertaining.

I was thrilled when Disney Publishing offered me a copy of this book for review! Percy Jackson is huge at my house. Not only is it my "go to" series to recommend to middle schoolers, it's LOVED by my 15 year old daughter. She loves the series so much that the day the new Heroes of Olympus book came out, she made me take her to the store to get it. So to have a chance to look at this book was fantastic! As soon as it arrived - said daughter pretty much hugged it. Then she disappeared with it. I finally had to make her give it back, so I could write this review!

And what did I think?? Absolutely loved it! Great great book covering the stories of some the Greek gods and goddesses. The best part - told in the voice of Percy! Having him tell these stories give them a fresh fun feel that I don't remember being there any other time I've read or taught them. And what's great is the real meat of the stories are still there. It isn't like they are drastically changed just to fit having Percy tell them. Actually they are quite long stories, so they weren't shortened or cheapened just to make them "fun". They really kept the stories but just with Percy making comments throughout. When I go back into the classroom I WILL use these versions for times when I want to introduce the stories. It will hook the students much easier than the boring ones in our textbook. How could they not with titles like "Hestia Chooses Bachelor Number Zero" or "Ares, The Manly Man's Manly Man"? Super fun!!!

Now about those illustrations...They are gorgeous. They add so much to each of the stories allowing the reader to really get an idea of how this all might have looked. My daughter (after talking about how Percy's way of the telling the stories made her giggle), went on about the pictures. What I really liked is that kept the more classical feel of the stories. They could have gone the other way and followed Percy's goofy and casual tone, but they didn't. They really look like they are part of a classical book of mythology, and I think that was the way to go. I could see them really capturing students, general readers, adults....anyone! Very well done.

Over-all it's a wonderful book that any Percy Jackson fan will want to add to their collection. But I also see it as a great addition to teaching mythology in the classroom.

October 8, 2014

Jess Tennant has now been living in a tiny town on the English seaside for three months, and is just beginning to relax and think of it as home after the traumatic events of last summer. But in the small hours of Halloween night, a teenage boy is left for dead by the side of the road. Seb Dawson has a serious head injury and may not survive. Jess might not have liked Seb much, but surely he didn’t deserve this. The police don’t seem to be taking the attack very seriously, but Jess can’t just let it go, and she takes matters into her own hands.

As she investigates, Jess discovers that Seb was involved in some very dangerous games. A secret predator around girls, he would do whatever it took to abuse them, from lying and blackmail to spiking drinks. Could a group of vengeful victims be behind his attack? Or is there someone else with a grudge against Seb, who will stop at nothing to silence him?

October 2, 2014

The world is living in the shadow of oncoming disaster. An asteroid is set to strike the earth in just one week’s time; catastrophe is unavoidable. The question isn’t how to save the world—the question is, what to do with the time that's left? Against this stark backdrop, three island teens wrestle with intertwining stories of love, friendship and family—all with the ultimate stakes at hand. Alexandra Coutts's TUMBLE & FALL is a powerful story of courage, love, and hope at the end of the world.

So I loved the concept of this book. The idea that everyone knows the world is going to end in one week and looking at how people might spend that week. Completely grabbed me with the premise! Unfortunately for me if fell flat. I didn't find any of the characters super interesting or easy to connect to. One of the main characters Sienna was ok. She has been through a lot and that should have bought her some of my sympathy, but I just didn't have much for her. I wanted to, but it just wasn't there! Plus I found her quickly developed relationship with Owen unbelievable even with the fact they are only supposed to have a week to live.

Caden was probably my favorite character just because he seemed more realistic than the rest. But in the same breathe his story with is father took an odd twist. I just liked him because he acted more how I expected someone in his situation to action.

Zan's story was ok. I get that she was upset about what she found out about her boyfriend's death and really dealing with that, but I found the whole trip she took looking for answers somewhat unrealistic. Too many things fell together just right for me to completely buy into it.

So, as you can see, there wasn't one character's full story I really really liked. Most were just ok for me. In all honesty I liked the story of Sienna's dad and the woman he wanted to marry to be the best story! It was sweet and what I could see people doing if something like this really happened. Then again I'm an adult, so I could relate to these characters more!

Final thought: I didn't hate the book. I just didn't overly care for it.